The Difference Between CBG and CBD and their Beneficial Effects

You’ve heard of CBD, but have you heard of CBG? This article dives into phytocannabinoids, the active compounds in hemp responsible for its beneficial effects.

You’ll learn about CBG and CBD, how they differ, and why CBG is uniquely rare. Read on to get the scoop about why CBG is being touted as the next CBD oil.

Phytocannabinoids

To fully understand CBG and CBD, you’ll need to know a bit about phytocannabinoids. Phytocannabinoids are the primary active compounds naturally produced in hemp flower.

There are over 120+ known phytocannabinoids with cannabidiol (CBD) being the most dominant. Each phytocannabinoid has unique properties and benefits that make it useful. This includes compounds such as –

• Cannabinol (CBN)
• Cannabichromene (CBC)
• Cannabidiol (CBD)
• Cannabigerol (CBG)
• Cannabielsoin (CBE)
• Delta-8 & 9 THC (THC)
• And more

Researchers originally isolated hemp compounds as early as the 1970’s, however little scientific or clinical investigation has been conducted since. Today, scientists are finally beginning to explore the numerous beneficial properties and effects of phytocannabinoids, which brings us to CBG and CBD.

What is CBG?

Short for Cannabigerol, CBG is a naturally occurring hemp compound commonly referred to as the building block of all other phytocannabinoids. This is because it’s the first phytocannabinoid synthesized within hemp.

As the flowers mature, it converts CBG into other phytocannabinoidsincluding CBD and THC. While CBD-rich hemp flower often reaches up to +25% in CBD concentration at maturity, CBG comprises less than 1% of most strains.

To get a crop of CBG-rich hemp flower, or create CBG isolate, growers must harvest their crop early before the CBG converts into other phytocannabinoids. This makes CBG the most expensive to produce out of all the phytocannabinoids in hemp. Is CBG worth it and is CBG different than CBD?

How is CBG Different from CBD?

While researchers have discovered many similarities between CBG and CBD, they haven’t yet determined exactly how they are different in their effects. For instance, both compounds are non-psychoactive, meaning they won’t make you feel high or stoned like the THC in cannabis will. Both compounds also exert incredible anti-inflammatory effects.

One particular way that CBGdiffers from CBD lies within its unique ability to stimulate a2-adrenergic receptors in the brain and blood vessels. According to primary care physician Dr. Matthew Mintz,

“Animal studies have shown that CBG stimulates receptors involved in pain and heat sensation, which are involved in blood pressure regulations. Thus, CBG might have a role in blood pressure regulation and pain”, Mintz says.

Other CBG studies on animals focus on the compound’s anti-inflammatory effects in conditions such as IBD (inflammatory bowel disease), Crohn’s disease, and Huntington’s disease (an incurable brain disease).

Of course, further clinical research is required to confirm any particular benefit for any specific medical conditions, but researchers are hopeful based on early findings. Ultimately, we don’t know a ton about the specific advantages CBG has over CBD. What we do know is that, like CBD, Cannabigerol shows exciting promise for inflammatory pain relief.

Try CBG

Like CBD, CBG is non-toxic and non-intoxicating, plus there are no known negative side effects of CBG. Here a few suggestions if you’re considering trying CBG.

Leverage a full spectrum of naturally occurring hemp compounds by trying high CBG hemp flower strains. This way you’ll get the added power of additional phytocannabinoids and terpenes along with CBG.

If you’d prefer not to smoke or vape CBG-rich hemp flower, consider trying gummies with hemp extract. CBG + CBD Gummies like from Mr.HempFlower.com offer full spectrum endocannabinoid system support with concentrated CBG and CBD in a tasty, snack-sized gummy.